Blue Sky

Certo che l'inventiva umana ne ha preso di cantonate!!! :asd: Armored Quadricycle Armed with Maxim Machine Gun and powered by a small motor. The vehicle is demonstrated here in June 1899 by a Mr. F.R.Simms (whoever he was).

MiG 1.44 Russian Multi-Role Fighter Gran bell'aereo, aggiungo qualche foto dettagliata! Modelling the MiG 1.44

:adorazione: A WING AN' 10 PRAYERS B-24M-30-CO 44-42378 528th Bomb Squadron This is, perhaps, the most elaborate of all Ebbeson's nose paintings incorporating tremendous detail into the nine individual caracatures of crew members. It is believed to show Ray Hill's crew who were regularly assigned to the ship and who also applied a long list of targets attacked onto the left nose of the B24 beside the squadron emblem. These targets included Ipo Dam, Aparri, Baguio, Takao, Hosan, Taichu, Toshien, Saigon, Canton, Balikipapan as well as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. A list that was as impressive as Ebbeson's artwork but which saw the plane sustaining damage at some point -- as is witnessed by the shiny new panel of aluminium which is seen in the photo, obscuring a large part of the painting. The B24 survived the war and returned to the USA. Like so many others, it was scrapped in late 1945.

Bello!!! This is the subdued version of the 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS). I think they flew the F-4 Phantom at one point, but not for sure. Only received a few of these, so when they are gone, that's probably it. Don't know if I'll be able to find any more, so grab one now.

CALLHOUSE MADAM PB4Y-1 BuNo 90482 VPB-116 and VPB-104 Originally built as B-24L-10-CO and serialled 44-41599 it was modified to US Navy specifications for a PB4Y-1. Any information on this aircraft's service and its crews would be greatly appreciated.

DRAGON LADY B-17F 42-30836 551st Squadron Ann Haywood used her vivid imagination to create this powerful nose art painting which was based around an idea from one of the crew. Assigned to 385th Bomb Group in mid September 1943, this B17F was lost on 13th February 1944 while attacking a NoBall V-weapon site near Calais. A direct flak hit wounded several crew members and put two engines out of action. Struggling back, the Fortress was forced to ditch into the Channel. Pilot Lt Edwin Herron pulled six of his crew from the sinking aircraft and was later awarded a DSC for his actions. Air Sea Rescue picked up seven survivors after two and half hours.

Welcome

Benvenuto Ariete!

JERSEY JACKASS B-24D 41-11776 343rd Bomb Squadron This was another original B24 painted by Sgt Lippard and assigned to Lt Muehlberg who flew it on at least 24 combat sorties -- the first being against the Corinth Canal in Greece on 25th August 1942. Later missions were flown to strike shipping targets in Benghasi harbour. It was almost lost on 2nd December when another crew (Lt Groff) took the B24 to strike Naples. One hour into the flight, all four engines cut out simultaneously but were restarted as the airplane plummeted towards the sea. Prior to the invasion of Sicily, "Jersey Jackass" pounded the ferry terminal at Messina to prevent German forces evacuating the island. Strikes against Palermo, Naples and other Italian targets continued well into 1943 and on 17th July it had another lucky escape when flak ripped 40 holes in the side, shot away hydraulic lines and shattered the bomb doors. However, the veteran B24 was repaired and was one of those famed ships which flew the daring low level strike against the Ploesti oil refineries on 1st August 1943. On that day it was assigned to a crew from 389BG (Lt McGraw) but was shot down over Romania with the loss of six of its crew and three listed as POWs. Lippard cleverly incorporated Hitler's distinctive features into his simplistic artwork of an ass's rear end -- it was undoubtedly a popular image amongst air and ground crew men. If you have any further knowledge or photographs of this aircraft or its crews please make contact.

This is the color version of the squadron patch for the 412th Flight Test Operations Squadron out of Edwards AFB, CA.

Nose art painted by Sgt Sam P. Rodman 303rd Bomb Group Molesworth, England IDALIZA B-17G-20-VE 42-97546 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron Another fine example of painting done by Sam Rodman and signed by him just above the girl's right foot. This was a long serving Vega-built B17 which arrived at Molesworth in March 1944 and survived combat missions right through to the end of hostilities in Europe. 106 successful sorties have been recorded for this veteran bomber which flew to attack almost every major target in northwest Europe. It was well cared for by crew chief M/Sgt Norman Cote and his team. More than fifty flight crews manned this ship during its combat career and it is not known which of them named the plane. An official photograph taken on 15th September 1944 shows the artwork in place at that time. There is considerable likeness in the face to the actress Ida Lupino -- not surprising since Rodman used a press release photo as a reference for his painting. Lupino had shot to fame as a teenager and starred in "Come on Marines" in 1934 at the age of 16. Co-starred with Gary Cooper a year later in "Peter Ibbetson" and then Bing Crosby in "Anything Goes" (1936). Her finest role was probably in "The Gay Desperado" and "Artists and Models" in 1937. Post war, in the 50s, Lupino made her name as the director of some of TV's best known series : "The Untouchables" and "The Fugitive". I wonder if she ever knew that she had also starred on 303BG's "Idaliza". On 13th April 1944, Idaliza flew to Schweinfurt and was attacked by fighters in a fierce running battle. During this time the bombardier 2Lt Thomas Dello Buono was wounded but continued to man his guns and was ultimately awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross -- the USA's second highest award for heroism. At war's end, on 7th June 1945, the plane took off from England on its journey back to Bradley Field AAB in the USA and thereafter onwards to its ultimate scrapping at Kingman, Arizona at the beginning of December.

Nose art painted by Cpl Dick Ebbeson 380th Bomb Group Fenton, Australia & New Guinea NET RESULTS B-24M-5-CO 44-41875 528th Bomb Squadron There were two similarly named B24s assigned to 380th Bomb Group but the earlier aircraft, although incorporating a similar dishevelled girl, is painted in a style unlike any of Ebbeson's other works and is believed to be by another, unknown, artist. Based on a magazine pinup, Ebbeson painted a superbly modelled figure with intricate detail and once again he used a circle of solid colour to pick out the figure from the silver metal background. This B24 was equipped with the latest electronic countermeasures equipment, code named "Raven". A late arrival to the Pacific war, this "Raven" Liberator flew several missions with different crews during the period April to August 1945 and survived hostilities. It returned to the USA to be scrapped at the end of October 1945. :drool:

Bellissima foto, rende al meglio i dettagli di un' abitacolo veramente eccezionale, eppure parliamo di dimensioni minuscole, che esaltano la bravura nanotecnologica che sei in grado di offrirci!

Ok vedrò di tener conto delle tue osservazioni Dott. Flaggy!

This is the F-111 Aardvark Farewell-to-Cannon AFB patch commemmorating the years it was stationed there, 1968-1996.

:asd: This is the F-111E Aardvark "Warsaw Pact Central Heating" Aircraft patch depicting what the mighty 'Vark was designed for, the low, fast, "other" mission.

Team Stealth!

This is the subdued version of the 93rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) 'Makos'. I think they flew the F-4 Phantom at one point, but not for sure. Only received a few of these, so when they are gone, that's probably it. Don't know if I'll be able to find any more, so grab one now

This is the color version of the old wing crest for the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing. They were an F-4C unit at one time ('65-'79), but are now known more so as being the largest A-10 unit (6 squadrons) from '79-'93 and the largest tactical fighter wing in the world at one time.

This is the color version of the old squadron patch for the 69th Tactical Fighter Squadron. It says "Dragons" at the bottom.

Dai non fare così!!! Dedicato a te! BECOMING BACK ---- B-24J---- 44-10575

This is the Operation Noble Anvil deployment patch for the 8th Fighter Squadron which is one of the operational squadrons for the F-117 Stealth Fighter out of Holloman AFB, NM.

Già Postato!!! :wip41: ALICE BLUE GOWN B-17G-85-BO 43-38400 490th Bomb Group Bomb 851st Bomb Squadron This Boeing built B17G was assigned to 490BG in mid August 1944 and completed more than 60 combat missions before returning to the USA on 16th July 1945, landing at Bradley Field. Five months later, like so many others, the Fort was broken up and salvaged at Kingman Arizona's Reclamation Plant.

Ragassuoli non fatemi trascendere dalla mia imparzialità di moderatore, quindi non toccatemi il 109 altrimenti partono le punizioni a raffica!!! :rotfl: P.S. La-5

Già postato a colori!!! HARD t' GET B-24H-15-CF 41-29486 Assigned to England on 26th March 1944, the aircraft flew only six missions whilst on the group's manifest. Two of these, on 30th June to Conches airfield and 14th July to Peronne, were flown as part of the 493BG formation. The aircraft's final (7th) sortie with 486BG on 19th July was aborted due to a mechanical failure. After with 486BG converted to flying B17 Fortresses in late July 1944, "Hard t'Get" was transferred to 406th Bomb Squadron for night leaflet dropping. Specially modified for night flying the aircraft continued in this role until the end of the year. It was salvaged on 31st December 1944.